Monday. Remus Lupin hated Mondays so much.

He walked towards the torture room with all the others students without talking to anyone. Damn teenagers, he thought as they ran pass him shouting and laughing together. Remus was definitely a solitary person, he hated crowds and preferred being quite than talking just for the sake of it. That is, unlike many people at his school, particularly in his very own house. He wasn't even sure why he was a Gryffindor. As far as he knew, it did not suit him at all.

But there was still a gap between not being very social and having people picking on you all the time. It was maddening, as if being a werewolf and spending at least two days a month in the infirmary wasn't enough of a burden!

He entered the classroom and sat down in a corner, as far as he could from where the Quidditch team members usually sit. People were entering the classroom and waving at him with the usual irony and contempt. And lastly: Them. The Quidditch team. Handsome, popular… and freaking despicable. One of them spat a chewing gum at Remus' desk as a form of greeting. In response, he took a piece of parchment and got rid of it without saying a single thing to the other boy.

"How was you Hogsmeade weekend? Did you have a date?" One of the Prewett brothers said with a horrible tone. James Potter - commonly known as Potterboy - laughed next to him.

"Would you please mind your own business?"

"Such bad manners Lupin! Here you have me showing an interest in your pathetic live and you…"

"You are perfectly well aware that I do not go out. And I might have a pathetic live, but I am not pathetic myself, unlike others." he spat.

"Hey you, insect, pay some respect."

"Shup up prick. "

"Guys, chill. Will you? Fabian… leave it alone."

That have just been Sirius Black's comforting voice. A boy his age who was also in the Quidditch team, the beater. It was not normal for Black to try to stop someone from insulting Remus, but he did not usually join when someone was picking on him either. Remus hated him anyway, for being friends with Prewett and Potter, who would not stop giving him hell.

"Gods Sirius, you don't let me have any fun."

"Why don't you two just go shag and have some fun that way?" said Remus. It had been a hurtful comment and he knew it. Black's coming out had been a big shock for all the school and some people were still not very open to accept him. Remus did not want to hurt him, really. It had just come out of his mouth like that.

"Hey, Lupin, let's not go off limits here." Black said, looking at him angrily.

"Me? Ha!"

"What the fuck is your problem? Wouldn't that be that the one who wants to shag him is you and you are too afraid to come out, you little poof? You like him, don't you?" Prewett said pushing Black against Remus and laughing.

"Just leave me the fuck alone already!" he said avoiding Black and jumping at Prewett.

Next thing he knew, they were hitting each other on the floor. Until someone took a good grab of Remus and hold him in the air. It was Black… Stupid jerk, protecting his stupid friends. Right in that moment, Professor McGonagall entered the classroom asking for an explanation.

"I… I was having a fight with Prewett. Is it a crime? I was just defending myself" Remus tried to justify himsef.

"Mr. Lupin, manners. Mr. Prewett?" she asked.

"Me? Do you see me doing anything?"

"It was me Professor. Lupin was having a fight with me."

"Well, Mr. Black I have to admit and expected different from you. Detention, both of you. Two hours on the afternoon, every day for a month. And 20 points from Gryffindor."

"Two hours?" Remus squeaked.

"What? How many points?"

"Let it be three hours!" she said closing the door loudly.

Prewett gave a brotherly pad on Black's back.

"Thanks for that Sirius, you are a mate."

"That's what we are here for. But you owe me one Fabian."

Was it really worth it to be in detention during tons of hours for a friend who wouldn't even return the favour if the opportunity shown? Fuck. He was on detention himself. With Black! Remus had to admit that it was better than having detention with Prewett but still…

"You will pay for my friend's detention." Prewett said with a finger pointing threatening at Remus' chest.

"Me? You could have easily avoided his detention."

"You will pay. That's all I'm saying."

Could things be going any worse? Ok. Let's look at the bright side… which bright side? Well, there has to be one. Remus told himself.

The afternoon, and consecently his detention, was already there and Remus was walking around the corridors where a very small number of people were still around. And the few that were, avoided Remus as much as they could.

Black was on the entrance of the classroom talking to Potter. Bro support and all that, Remus guessed. He tried to keep on walking taking advantage of the fact that they were talking about some bird Potter seemed interested in. He entered the classroom to find a welcoming committee made of the Quidditch team and some other friends of Black.

"So you are showing up, huh?" said Potter behind him, entering the classroom and walking in front of him.

"Please. Leave me alone."

"I'm assuming you remember Fabian telling you that you were going to get what you deserve, right? I would be watching my back if I were you."

"I just want to go sit down, ok?"

"You are dead Lupin." Added Prewett.

"Leave it already, will you? This is how things are now. I am not going to get depressed just because I have to be here… every day… for three hours… an entire month! Oh God." Black said, letting himself fall on a chair with eyes wide open.

"We are with you mate. We'll steal some firewisky and get drunk on the weekend, how does that sound?" Potter said.

"Always such good ideas Potterboy!" Black grinned widely.

Remus finally walked towards the sit near the window at the end of the classroom. Five minutes later, McGonagall came into the classroom waving everyone out except for him and Black, who opted for sitting as far away from each other as possible.

"Well, I am assuming that you know that this morning display was completely out of boundaries and that you deserve this punishment. I hope that you are going to use this time for something good. If there is any sort of problem between the two of you again I am going to take drastic measures. Did I made myself clear?"

"Yes Professor." Remus answered with a 'good-boy' voice.

"Good. I do not expect any issues then." And with that, she left the classroom leaving the boys on their own.

Is this the punishment? Having me here with this twat for three hours? Remus thought, wondering what the hell have happened to copying something over a thousand times or polishing the trophies the muggle way. He hadn't taken any book with him so the next three hours were definitely going to be boring and useless. Black stood up and started walking around the classroom. Remus realized that they boy had his History of Magic textbook on his bag and he wanted to ask for it to take advantage of time that he had to spend in there.

Black was around his thirtieth walk around the classroom when he started drawing ridiculous things on the blackboard. He sat at the teachers desk and started looking trough the drawers. And then, he began doing origami figures with some parchment. Meanwhile, Remus was still gathering the courage to ask him for the book. Oh, come on, what do you have to lose? It is not like people are treating you right so…

"Err… hey," he realised at his voice sounded weird and coughed a little, "could I borrow your History book?"

"What?"he jerked his head up to look at the boy.

"Nothing. Forget it."

"No, what did you say?"

- Silence -

"Hello?"

"Hello."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. Really. Just forget about it. Ok? I do not feel like being scoffed at right now. Just keep on doing those amorphous birds."

"They are not amorphous!" He said looking down at his creations for a couple of seconds. "Seriously, what did you want?"

"Your History book, do you mind if I borrow it?"

"No. Of course not." he got up to take it out of his bag. "There you go" he threw the thing at Remus who missed it by two inches.

I hate my reflexes. Black looked at him as if he were from another planet. Whatever. At least he had the book now. He bended over to recover it and opened it in the lesson they were currently studying. At least, he was going to have a hell of good grades this month.

The next day was fairly normal. Like any other day, though people were not picking on Remus so much, which was not at all reassuring. Truth be told, he was far more worried about the threats he had been receiving that he cared to admit.

Two o'clock. Two and three seconds. Two and twenty seconds. Two and a minute… when was the stupid class going to finish? He did not even know what he wanted it to finish for. Once it did finish, he realised that he wasn't feeling like going to the Great Hall to have lunch, so he just went outside and ate a couple of fruits he had in his bag and immediately headed back to the classroom where he had detention. He sat down in the same place that he had been sitting in the previous day. He took out his Runes notes and started going through them until Black noisily entered the classroom. Five minutes late.

"Has someone come? Did they say anything?"

"Chill. I have been here around fifteen minutes already and nobody has shown a sign of remembering that we have to be here."

"Oh. Good."

Ten minutes later Filch walked the corridor past the class making sure that the students were there. It was only the second day and Remus was already feeling uncomfortable for spending so much time with Black. He was even considering that it might had been better to be in detention with Fabian Prewett, at least he would have been insulting him and he would been at least talking to someone.

Remus just could not stand how indifferent this boy was to everything. But it was only natural. What did he have to care about? He was popular, he had friends, he was on the Quidditch team, he was handsome and probably had many girldfriends… well, not girls… Suddenly, Black raised his head from the drawing he was doing and looked directly into Remus' eyes, making him realised he had been staring. He blushed and looked back to the book as fast as he could. Next time he raised his head, the dark-haired boy was quietly sleeping. He looks cute, Remus though smiling. The thought worried him so much, that he decided that it was a good idea to wake him up. He pushed the book in his desk to the edge so it fell down as well as his quill and the ink making a horrible noise. Black jumped in his sit.

"I'm sorry. It fell down." He stood up to clean the mess he had just created.

"Don't worry." The boy answered in a sleepy voice and looked at the clock. "Still one hour to go? Really?" he stood up, looked at the corridor to make sure nobody was around and he closed the door and started moving things around the classroom.

Wednesday. Third period, Ancient Runes. Not a soul had insulted Remus that day. It was getting fishy. Fishy and worrying. While he was eyeing around him suspicious of everyone the professor approached him. He told him about helping Black during the time of their detention since the other boy did not appear to be doing very well on the subject.

Remus could not stop thinking about it all day. Have the professor talk to Black about this as well? If yes, what did he think about it? Have he told his friends? He just wanted the month to be over already. It was insufferable. It was him who arrived a little bit late that day, only to find Black on the desk that he normally used, so he went to sit in the other end of the classroom.

"Hey… emm.. Remus." He startled, nobody ever used his name. It even sounded bad. "Come here. I did not sit here for you to go over there. I'm not trying to annoy you, really. Did the Runes Professor talk to you?"

"Yes… but if you don't feel like doing anything I am ok with that. If you fail you can even say I did not help you properly. I don't care."

"No. I do want to… Actually, it was me who asked for it. I was thinking that since we are stuck here anyway I could use the time."

"Oh."

"Also, we would talk to each other this way."

"And why would you want to talk to me for?"

"Can't I be curious?"

"Nobody has ever been."

"Well, I'm different." He played an overconfident smile on his face that Remus found very irritating.

"Hm.." Remus walked doubtfully in the boy's direction. "Do you mind if I sit by the window?"

"Not at all" he moved to the desk next to the one where he had been sitting, letting Remus take his place.

Maybe Black was not so much of a bad guy after all. Remus took his books out of the bag and waited for the other one to say something.

"So… are you going to help me?"

"Of course."

"Good."

"What do you want?" Remus asked.

"Excuse me?"

"What do you want to start with?"

"Oh… the beginning would be perfect."

Remus took his book and his notes out of the bag assuming Black would not have any, and told him to start by copying his notes while he explained the main points. From time to time, Black made some really weird comments about the weather, or about other people in their class, joking about God knows what. Remus could not tell if he was making fun of him or just talking to himself because he was bored.

"Look, if you want to we can leave it for today. We have been studying for an hour already."

"I know, but there are still two hours left."

"Sleep."

"I'm not tired."

"Oh."

- Awkward silence -

"So… how are you doing?" Black said.

"Me?"

"No, sorry, I was talking to your notes."

- Awkward silence –

"Difficult, aren't you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Nevermind."

- Awkward silence –

"Why are you like this?"

"And how would you say I am Black?"

"You can call me Sirius… And.. I don't know, like.. like you are."

"Because I rather be myself than just adapt to what others think I should be like. Sirius. "

"I don't think you are being yourself."

- Silence –

Remus opened his book again and started doing silly drawings on the corners. Black could just bugger off and go back to his usual sitting place. The closeness was making him feel extremely uncomfortable. Suddenly, he felt something hitting his nose.

He looked up and saw Black with a rolled piece of parchment in his hand. He smiled.

"What are you doing?"

"Hitting your nose with a piece of parchment."

"And what would that be for?"

"Because I am bored."

"…" Remus stared at him. The other still smiling.

"Why are you so serious? And funny I should say this!" Black made some exagerated gestures with his hands.

"Serious?"

"What?"

"No. I was not calling your…" Sirius started laughing.

"I know. Well, you see, for starters, you never laugh."

"I don't think I have reasons to do so."

"Oh come on," he took a look at the clock "I have been trying to give you reasons for like the past hour and a half."

- Awkward silence –

"Ok. I'll be quite. You only have to say it if I am bothering you."

"You are not. You are just a little bit irritating, but I do not dislike you."

"What a relief…"

"If I did not like you I would have already kill you by now," Remus turned his head to look at the other boy in the eyes. Beautiful grey eyes by the way. "Yes, I would have probably made you bleed to death." And he smiled.

- Very awkward silence –

"That was a joke." Remus felt the need to clarify.

"Really?"

"Of course! Do I look like a psychopath?"

"Do you want me to answer that?"

"No, I guess not." he looked down to his book again.

"Ok."

- Silence –

"Why do your friends hate me so much?" Remus asked suddenly, without really thinking.

"Why are you so weird?"

"I am not weird."

"They don't hate you."

"Ok."

"Liar."

"Liar." Remus laughed.

"You laughed!"

"So?"

"That it took me" he look at the clock again "only 2 hours 38 minutes and 22 seconds to make you laugh."

"Oh come on!"

They smiled at each other.

- Silence –

After a little while, a professor showed at the door and told them that they were free to leave.

"Yay" Remus muttered sardonically.

"See you tomorrow." Smiled Sirius standing up after having picked up his notes.

- Silence –

"Hey, I've said see you tomorrow!"

"Hmm?... See you."

While going back to the common room Remus came across the boy again sitting in the sofa next to Potter, laughing. He wondered if Sirius had told the other anything about their conversations. They were brotherly hitting each other and seem to be plotting something. Remus felt horribly jealous.